Editor's Note: We're giving you special access to Bill's Private Briefing because he and Michael have spotted a rare opportunity in the robotics and M&A niche. Readers have the chance to get into this company before Google does – and sends the price doubling. Here's Bill…

As I've mentioned many times in Private Briefing, resident technology expert Michael Robinson and I talk by telephone at least once every day – and often two or three times.

On more than one occasion, in fact, Michael has joked that we could save a lot of time if we were capable of the "Vulcan Mind Meld" technique that Mr. Spock regularly used in the classic sci-fi TV show Star Trek.

But because we do talk so frequently, I have to confess that Michael surprised me in late December: When I was interviewing our gurus to get their top stock picks for the New Year, Michael recommended a stock that we hadn't previously talked about.

But I'm really glad he did…

Obamacare Drives This Niche

Michael's pick for 2014 was Adept Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: ADEP), a play on the red-hot robotics sector whose stock he predicted could zoom 50% to 100% because of improving finances and the potential for a takeover.

"Adept is improving [its] operations and could be a great acquisition for a larger firm as companies continue to automate rather than hire more full-time workers, a hiring philosophy they are maintaining in order to dodge the effects of Obamacare," Michael told me at the time of his recommendation. "And while I would characterize this small-cap stock as one for the higher-risk portion of your subscribers' portfolios, I do believe the trends are in the company's favor, meaning this is a play that could gain 50%, or even double from where it's trading right now."

In the interest of candor, I will say that the stock has been a laggard to this point. But Monday, Adept shares jumped more than 12% – a move that Michael believes is a sign of things to come.

"Part of what I think you're seeing here is that the catalysts we've been talking about are finally manifesting themselves in a tangible enough manner to induce investors to act," said Michael, the editor of our Radical Technology Profits advisory service here at Money Map Press. "On the financial side, the company's management team has been specific in forecasting a swing from a string of losses to solid profitability… during this year. And we've seen all the robotics-related deals taking place."

He's right on both points.

Here at Private Briefing,we've liked the robotics sector for some time.

We have an 85% gain in iRobot Inc. (Nasdaq: IRBT), which we recommended as an intellectual property play back in May 2012.

And last June, we followed up by recommending Yaskawa Electrical Corp.(OTC: YASKY), Japan's No. 2 maker of robotic technology. That stock is up 17%… so far.

This Pick Could Be Next on Google's List

Search giant Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has been snapping up robotics firms at a stunning pace – including six in a six-day stretch last year. Its shopping list has included:

Boston Dynamics

DeepMind Technologies Ltd.

Bot & Dolly

Holomini

Meka Robotics

Redwood Robotics

Industrial Perception Inc.

Schaft Inc.

At a technology conference in Santa Monica last week, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said his company is experimenting with automation in ways that will "replace a lot of the repetitive behavior in our lives."

Before he moved into the investment-research business in 2005, William (Bill) Patalon III spent 22 years as an award-winning financial reporter, columnist, and editor. Today he is the Executive Editor and Senior Research Analyst for Money Morning. With his latest project, Private Briefing, Bill takes you "behind the scenes" of his established investment news website for a closer look at the action. Members get all the expert analysis and exclusive scoops he can't publish... and some of the most valuable picks that turn up in Bill's closed-door sessions with editors and experts.

I can give you an educated guess based on my past life working on the Business section of the Baltimore Sun. While The Sun ran substantial stock tables back in the day, we limited the listings to a fixed number of stocks filtered by volume. Thus, widely held, heavily traded stocks appeared every day. But less heavily traded stocks were hit and miss, depending on how many shares traded that day. I am not privy to how the WSJ manages its stock listings, but I would assume that they do not run every stock, and filter their listings in some way (probably volume, but possibly market cap).

Money Morning gives you access to a team of ten market experts with more than 250 years of combined investing experience – for free. Our experts – who have appeared on FOXBusiness, CNBC, NPR, and BloombergTV – deliver daily investing tips and stock picks, provide analysis with actions to take, and answer your biggest market questions. Our goal is to help our millions of e-newsletter subscribers and Moneymorning.com visitors become smarter, more confident investors.